Process of multicolor or polychromatic printing.



Patented Dec. 2, I902.

M. RUDDMETDFF; PROCESS OF MULTIGOLOR 0R POLYGHROMATIG PRINTING. I

(Application filedlune 6, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

i I W No. 7l4,953. Patented Dec. 2, I902.

2 M. RUDOMETDFF.

PROCESS OF MULTIGOLOR 0B PDLYCHRONIATIC PRINTING.-

(Application filed June 6, 1902.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [Izzy-e rat-07":

WI'l /77/6JU6J'.

' 1141011 ael Rudometoff.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL RUDOMETOFF, OF GATTSGIIINA, RUSSIA.

PROCESS OF MULTICOLOR OR POLYCHROMATIC PRINTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,953, dated December 2, 1902. Application filed June 6,1902- Serial No. 110,561. (No Specimensfi To all-.whovn it may concern: I

Be it known that I, MICHAEL RUDOMETOFF, engineer, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residing at Gattschina, Government of Peters burg, Russia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Multicolor or Polychromatic Printing; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to multicolor or polychromatic printing in typographicprinting presses by means of a single form;

and it consists of the particular steps or proc-,

ess hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Prints of the above character have of late been made by first transferring the var'ious colors from separate stereotypes or blocks upon which they have been produced by any suitable process to a single printing-form and the intermediate rollers may take off a little of the other wet colors from the collecting or printing form and transfer it back to the ink ing-form and thence to the single-color roller and to'the whole set of rollers and that consequently the subsequent prints from the combination or collecting form' would gradually become more and more impure in color, owing.

to the continual mixing of the colors: This disadvantage may be obviated to a great extent by depositing the color upon the print-' ing-form in a series of parallel lines, which may be done by providing the transfer-rollers with flutings, in which case a lined or half-toned impression will be produced on the printingform. If, however, several lined impressions are consecutively transferred to the form,

there is danger of producing a moire-pattern effect-1'. a, an ellfect similar to that of watered fabrics. This effect may be avoided by placing the lines of each separate system at not too acute an angle to those of the other systems, and this may be done in such a press as above referred to by em ploying fluted transfer-rollers for the various colors, the fintings of each roller being set at an angle to those of the other rollers. A very slight mingling of the colors may take place on the printingform at the points of intersection of the lines of color; but this would give rise to but a very slow soiling of the rollers during the printing. Even this disadvantage may be comparatively easily obviated by making the fiutings upon the rollers for the various colors of different depths and by providing corre sponding flutings on the collecting or printing form. If this is done, the transfer-rollers will not contact with the color already upon the collecting-form, even at the points of intersection of the lines of color; A most aocurate register will beattaihedby providing the form with recesses which coriespondjin depth exactly with the fiutings of the'rollei's.

fore the flntin gs are formed, so that these lat- I J ter will not appear on the ground of the form or outside the margin of the picture.

The drawingsaccoinpagyingherewithillustratethe manner and a meansof carrying out my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation and p centa;

tion of a fiat or bed pressdesignd'fbrl ing out my invention. Fig. 2 is a planofit same except that the inking mechanism is A omitted to avoid covering more essential features. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side elevation and plan of a cylinder-press adaptand a cylinder-press adapted to make use of ed to carry out my invention. Fig. is a section, on an exaggerated scale, designed to illustrate the characterof surface employed 'the various colors.

The drawings illustrate a flat or bed press my process and resembling in its general features the press of the Orlolf patent, before referred to. This has a collecting and printing form F, inking-forms F, F, and F to. each of which ink of its particular color is applied, as by the rollers D and reservoir d, and from which the ink is transferred by its particular transfer-roller B, B 'or B each of said rollers touching only one of the primary or inking forms F, F and F but all engagiug and transferring ink to the collecting and printing form F.

Uponeach of the-primary or inking forms F, F and'F I have shown by a series of par-,

allel lines that portion of a picture which is to be printed in that particular color. These when combined upon the collecting-form F form a complete picture. The transfer-rollers B, B?, and B are jourualedin a frame A, which, with its transfer and inking rollers,

, may be moved along the bed, so as to transferink-from-each primary form to the collectj The transfer-rollers have gears g,

ing-form. secured thereto and meshing with racks G,

whereby the proper registry of the rollers,

upon the collecting-form may be secured. The journaling of the rollers in the frame A is by slots, as shown at b, so that a slight rise and fall of the rollers may be permitted suflif cientto prevent contact of any transfer or inking roller with any other inking-form than its i. own. This is secured bymeans of wheels H on the roller-shafts engaging cam-strips h on the bed, all in a usual and well-known manner.

or fluted, the flutings in roller B being circumferential, those in roller B being diagonal, and those in roller B 'being'longitudinal thereof, although any-other suitable arrangement might be used.

The forms are etched or otherwise prepared.

- represented by the series of lines 1, 2, and 3,

each covering a zone extending across the circle and each ol a width to inclndeat each end an arc of sixty degrees, each zone beingspaced The transfer-rollers are shown as groovedsixty degrees from each of the others. This forms at the center a hexagonal figure 123,

which has all three colors thereon and is there fore a composite of these three colors. Outside of this hexagon are a series of equilateral triangles 12, 13, and 23, each of which is a composite of two colors represented by the individual numerals'of which their reference character is composed, and between these triangles are the figures 1, 2, and 3,'each of which has only one color thereon.

While the process above outlined may be carried out upon an unruled or smooth collooting-form, if the collecting or printing form he ruled or fluted to correspond with the flutin gs upon the transfer-rollers, so that the ribs or projections of the transfer-rollers enter the grooves of the form, thereby depositing their ink at the bottom of said grooves,.and,'fnrther, if each set of grooves be of a different depth from the others, there will be no actual overlapping or superposition of the wet ink, and consequently no smearing or mixing of colors. I

In Fig. 5 I have attempted to show diagrammatically and on an exaggerated scale how such a form would appear in section. In this 4 represents the shallowe'st grooves, corresponding, for instance, with the circumferential grooves or flutin gs of the transfer-roller B; '5, the next depth, corresponding with the diagonal grooves or flutings of roller B, and

6 those which are at right angles with the first ones 4, corresponding withthe longitudinal grooves or flutings of the transfer-roller B While this figure is upon a very much exaggerated scale, it serves as a diagram to'make clear the manner of forming the grooves or flutings. These grooves or flutings would of course be of no such size as are therein shown. Exaggeration is, however, necessary to clearly illustrate the true facts. I

Figs. 3 and 4 show a cylinderpress designed for printing by the same process. these 1), b and b are the three transfer-rollers, fthe collecting or printing form,.f, f and f the inking-forms. The operation of the device is exactly analogonsto that of the fiat-bed plate of Figs. 1 and 2 and needs no specific description. The transfer-rollers are grooved or fluted in thesame manner, as is also the collecting-form, when desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters ligatent, isa I 1. The process of multicolor printing which consists in depositing the various colors separately'lupon a common form as lines, which for each color lie at an angle not too acute with the lines of all the other, colors and in of other colors are crossed, so that there is no s aidlines being interrupted where the lines I overlap, and in thentaking animpression of I0 I all the colors at one-e. superposition of moist colors, and in taking In Witness whereof I have hereunto sob my the impression of all said colors at once. hand in presence of two Witnesses 3. The process of lIlUllilCOlOllMlHblIlg from? 1 MICHAEL RUDOMETOFE s ngle form which consists 1n depositing, each 1 of the various colors on said form as a mi Witnesses: nutely broken or interrupted surface so that H. A. LO'VIAGUINE, Lhe various colors may inter-mingle but not NM. A. HEYDEOKER, 

